2 (2009). After making his WWE debut back in 2016, fans were worried that the promotion would misuse him. https://thesportsgrail.com/2021-pwi-top-500-full-list-names-of-all-the-500-wrestlers-ranked-this-year/, Pro-wrestling Illustrated has released the 2021 PWI Top 500 full list and here are the names of all the wrestlers who were ranked this year. The PWI Rookie of the Year award recognizes the best professional wrestler of the year who, in that year, had their first year in the business. Although the Deadman has never been No. For the second time in his career, undisputed WWE universal champion Roman Reigns is atop the PWI 500. This site uses third party cookies for analytics and advertising. As the NXT Champion, Owens made his Raw debut and scored a clean win over John Cena in his debut match. Barry Windham82. Selectors weigh win-loss record, technical ability, influence on the sport, success against the highest grade of competition, success against the most diverse competition, and activity. Although many wrestling organizations promote their lead title as a world heavyweight championship, Pro Wrestling Illustrated (PWI) has only recognized a few championships as valid world titles at any one time. Rob Van Dam is the only wrestler to win the award as a heel (villain). [4] By this time, the championship was vacant and would remain so until the promotion's closure. Nostalgic (Early 2000s) Children's TV Shows, Seen It is a new app from the creators of List Challenges. This year's No. This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The award has been given yearly since 1972, and in this time, Bob Backlund, Hulk Hogan, Eddie Guerrero, Jerry Lawler, Bayley, and Roman Reigns are the only people to have won the award more than once, with all six winning twice. Roman Reigns was named as number one in the top 500, and it makes sense considering the above criteria. Chris Benoit10. These cookies track visitors across websites and collect information to provide customized ads. Sean Waltman75. RELATED: 10 Shocking Wrestler Placements In The PWI 500. Roman Reigns is number one on the PWI 500. [2] This coincided with the WWF's withdrawal from the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA) in summer 1983. Kenny Omega 14. PWI is often referred to as an "Apter Mag", named after its long-time photographer Bill Apter, a term used for wrestling magazines that keep kayfabe. Jushin Liger32. For the first time since 2019, a WWE talent tops the list. Roman Reigns 2. Since then, he has won and lost the title many times, and has certainly lived up to his "Ultimate Opportunist" moniker. 1 (1996). 3 (2002). Without further ado, here are 10 wrestlers with the highest average PWI 500 position in the last 5 years. Roman Reigns - WWE 3. Rich Swann 11. 1. WWE has had some incredible wrestlers walk through its doors, including The Undertaker and Brock Lesnar, and the 100 best have been ranked. Since then, it has become one of the most widely used metrics to determine the levels of success a wrestler has been able to achieve over the course of a calendar year. Although many feel he was held back from his full potential in WWE, Van Dam has long been considered one of the top performers in the sport, and is the highest-ranking wrestler ECW ever had in the PWI 500 (No. Unlike other wrestling magazines and websites, PWI is largely a magazine written within the fictional realm of professional wrestling and the awards recognize this. As with the list of male professional wrestlers, PWI writers choose the position of the wrestler following a designated evaluation period starting from mid-June; anything a wrestler accomplished before or after that period is not considered. Kenny Omega solidified his status as one of the world's greatest wrestlers when his match against Kazuchika Okada for the IWGP Heavyweight Championship at Dominion 6.11 in Osaka-jo Hall was given 6.25 stars by Dave Meltzer. Jerry Lawler48. The fact that Angle was ranked No. He has maintained an average third place position. The 32nd annual PWI 500 - Pro Wrestling Illustrated 's (mostly) kayfabe ranking of the 500 best wrestlers in the world - is here. Bob Backlund 8. 2022 PWI 500 Full List!! Generally considered the greatest performer of this generation, Michaels has had a career that few will ever match. In spring 1991, the family of magazines adopted a new policy of referring to the current promotion and its champions as WCW and the promotion's pre-1991 past as the NWA. Pro Wrestling Illustrated. We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. 23,990 views made by xrialfx avg. And giving Reigns the nod over Kazuchika Okada and CM Punk - or not even having Jon Moxley (12th), Seth Rollins (17th), or Will Ospreay (27th) in the top ten - is certainly going to lead to a few arguments. Performance cookies are used to understand and analyze the key performance indexes of the website which helps in delivering a better user experience for the visitors. Bray Wyatt 17. Given that, Chono cannot be considered the NWA World champion in the historical sense We'll call him NWA champion because that is the title he won. Jul 22, 2008 at 6:19am. [75] Beginning with the March 2003 year-end edition, the award was renamed in memory of PWI founder and longtime publisher Stanley Weston, who died in 2002. This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. Braun Strowman 20. They follow a criterion that includes winloss record, championships won, quality of competition, major feuds, prominence within a wrestler's promotion(s), and overall wrestling ability. We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. In early 2018, Nakamura eliminated Cena and Reigns from the Royal Rumble to win and earn himself a shot at AJ Styles' WWE Championship at WrestleMania 34. Eddie Guerrero27. To learn more or opt-out, read our Cookie Policy. 4. Samoa Joe probably would have been a world champion in WWE by now if he had managed to remain injury-free. By choosing I Accept, you consent to our use of cookies and other tracking technologies. Pro Wrestling Illustrated (PWI) 500 for 2021. position born wrestler previous year position difference notes; 401 Murphy: 114 -287: 402 Drew Parker: N/A N/A: 403 . Real Join Date: Sep 2003. By clicking Accept, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies. Rick Steamboat52. Hes cashing in his Champions Series title shot. Bryan Danielson8. From there, he won the Intercontinental Championship before winning the Universal Championship and forging a great on-screen friendship with Chris Jericho. Read on to know the names of all the pro wrestlers ranked in the 2021 PWI 500 full list. He was positioned 40th in 2019, a far cry from being sixth in 2016 and third in 2017. 1 (2002). When Masa Chono won an NWA world title tournament in Japan in August 1992, PWI and its sister publications only recognized Chono's title as the "NWA Championship" and rejected it as a world title or as a continuation of the historic NWA Worlds Heavyweight Championship.[8]. Our ranking differs from the PWI 500 because we use math. Rick Rude51. More recently, the magazine has branched into the creation of Women's lists as well, but the Men's list has remained far more in-depth, at least for the time being. He was PWIs top ranked wrestler back in 2016, too. He should be in the top 20 at least. Well, at least we try to. Mick Foley70. Pro Wrestling Illustrated (PWI) 500 for 2018. ulta beauty core competencies. Masa Chono80. Christopher Daniels61. Although he has only wrestled a handful of matches in the United States (including a 5-star match against Samoa Joe in Ring of Honor in 2005), Kenta Kobashi was one of the top Japanese wrestlers of the late 90s and early 2000s, holding the All Japan Triple Crown three times. Ultimo Dragon84. Big bully wrestlers in the AWA who liked to beat on their opponents and strike fear in the fans when they wrestled. wrestler previous year position difference notes; 101 Dax Harwood: 254 +153: 102 . The top 10 rankings for the PWI 500 are as follows: 1. Tragically, Misawa died during a match on June 13, 2009. Equipes. Shawn Michaels 11. The evaluation period for the PWI #TagTeam50: October 1, 2019 September 30, 202", "FTR Takes Top Spot On The Inaugural PWI Tag Team 50 List", "The Young Bucks se afianzan el primer puesto de los Top 50 Tag Team de PWI", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Pro_Wrestling_Illustrated&oldid=1141318074, Pan-Afrikan World Diaspora Wrestling Championship, PAWDWC Presents F1ght Club Pro Wrestling (F1ght Club), This page was last edited on 24 February 2023, at 12:57. Justin Credible92. Scott Steiner26. A relatively poor 2017, which saw him placed 16th, means Rollins has an average position of 6th over the last 5 years. El Hijo del Vikingo9. He has received an unbelievable 10 Match of the Year awards (1993-1996 and 2004-2009), and will probably win an eleventh for his final match at Wrestlemania 26 with the Undertaker. RELATED: 10 Coolest Looks Of Finn Balor's Career, Ranked. He wrestled fantastic matches against the likes of John Cena and Brock Lesnar as the biggest heel in the company, leading him to top of the PWI 500 in 2015. Kick Your Face. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. El Hijo del Santo38. Seth Rollins was chosen to be The Authority's Golden Boy when he turned his back on The Shield and aligned himself with the heel faction. Although Vader is not brought up much in conversation these days, he was dominant in pre-Hogan WCW during the early 90s, winning the WCW Championship three times. Triple H has won this award a record five times, with his fourth win as part of The Authority. Pro Wrestling Illustrated released its annual list of the top 500 pro wrestlers in the world . Jake "The Snake" Roberts had become one of the most bone-chilling villains in history, and The Great Muta was simply put one of the most innovative wrestlers of his era. He moves up from second place last year. En 2003. Ric Flair16. Top 500 Pro Wrestlers of all time according to Pro Wrestling Illustrated. Ultimo Guerrero46. at least according to the opinion of their editors. Yearly The 32nd annual "500" list is featured in our latest issue, available now for print preorder at https://t.co/ylNeV87zarThe digital edition is available now at https://t.co/CBIZbQfbOb pic.twitter.com/XJiDhbbTBR. 2021 PWI Top 500 Wrestlers Full List 1 Kenny Omega 2 Roman Reigns 3 Bobby Lashley 4 Drew McIntyre 5 Kota Ibushi 6 Jon Moxley Randy Orton 13. The New Day is the only trio to win the award. Kane43. Satoshi Kojima47. Edge spent many years as a mid-carder in WWE before finally winning his first world title in January 2006. Yokozuna65. Kota Ibushi 6. Go Orange. Total number of appearances: 17Number of top 10 rankings: 3Highest ranking: No. Pro Wrestling Illustrated March 1984, Pro Wrestling Illustrated strips the AWA of World Title Recognition Pro Wrestling Illustrated May 1991, Editorial, Wrestling '91, Spring 1991 edition, "The NWA was formed in 1948 but the NWA World Heavyweight Championship is traditionally traced back to the World Heavyweight Championship that was created in 1905." PWI writers choose the position of the wrestler following a designated evaluation period starting from October; a minimum of 10 matches or 4 months as a tag team is required. Trish Stratus has won this award a record four times. Randy Savage 10. PWI has also generally recognized any tag team title from a promotion with a recognized world heavyweight championship as a world tag team championship and certain other select titles from those promotions as world championships. Drew McIntyre - WWE 5. Pro Wrestling Illustrated began releasing a yearly list of the best wrestlers in the world back in 1991. Spare me the boos, Cena haters. Since 2021, Pro Wrestling Illustrated (PWI) recognizes the WWE Championship, WWE Universal Championship, AEW World Championship, Impact World Championship, ROH World Championship, MLW World Heavyweight Championship, and NWA Worlds Heavyweight Championship from the United States, the AAA Mega Championship and CMLL World Heavyweight Championship from Mexico, as well as the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship, Triple Crown Heavyweight Championship, World of Stardom Championship, and GHC Heavyweight Championship from Japan as world heavyweight championships. Roman Reigns is number one on the PWI 500. Main Page; Discuss; All Pages; Community; Interactive Maps; Recent Blog Posts; Wrestlers. PWI 500 2021 (Top 100) Can you name Pro Wrestling Illustrated's top 100 wrestlers of 2021? score: 55 of 500 (11%) required scores: 1, 2, 3, 10, 87 list stats leaders vote print comments How many have you heard of? He has an average position of 8th, brought down by his relatively poor showing in 2015. Hiroshi Tanahashi86. Ron Simmons94. John Bradshaw Layfield56. On Wednesday, Professional Wrestling Illustrated (PWI) a wrestling magazine published its annual list of 500 top professional wrestlers worldwide. While people may debate over him being the greatest of all time, no one can deny he has been the greatest over the last five years. Your mileage, as they say, may vary. The latest in the sports world, emailed daily. Dean Malenko34. Scott Hall55. PWI has given out annual awards and recognitions since its inception. The PWI Woman of the Year award recognized the best female professional wrestling personality of the year. Demolition 4 of 70 They were the class of the tag team division in the WWF in. 2022 The 2021 PWI Top 500 Wrestlers is a list of the Top 500 wrestlers according to the magazine Pro Wrestling Illustrated . CM Punk44. Antonio Inoki 6. It's based on a point system. 31 Former WWE muscleman challenges Tyrus for NWA Worlds Heavyweight Championship. This site uses third party cookies for analytics and advertising. Vader21. PWI Top 500 Wrestlers | Pro Wrestling | Fandom Advertisement Pro Wrestling Wiki 148,226 pages Explore Wrestlers Promotions TV Championships in: Wrestling Awards, PWI 500 PWI Top 500 Wrestlers Edit this page Top 50 Females References Categories Community content is available under CC-BY-SA unless otherwise noted. The PWI Most Hated Wrestler of the Year award typically recognizes the most effective heel (villainous) professional wrestler of the year. His feud with John Cena was absolutely phenomenal and reminded fans that he is the most consistently-great performers in the world. Just as we did before, we all submitted our own list of the top 100 wrestlers of all time, and . Also in 2021, six women placed in the top half of the list, including Laynie Luck, who out of all the women who ranked in the 2020 PWI 500, jumped the most number of spots to land at #230225 spots higher than last year. Genichiro Tenryu72. AJ Lee is the only wrestler to win the award three times consecutively. No. Bret Hart9. The first issue of Pro Wrestling Illustrated (PWI) was released in 1979. Here's the list of PWI 500 for 2022: 1 Roman Reigns 2 Kazuchika Okada 3 CM Punk 4 Adam Page 5 Bobby Lashley 6 Cody Rhodes 7 Bryan Danielson 8 El Hijo Del 9 Big E 10 Jonathan Gresham 11 Shingo Takagi 12 Jon Moxley The World's Most Entertaining Car Website. Strong Female Characters That Are Unforgettable! 2 (1993). Kenny Omega Talks The Reports That WWE Is Interest In Signing Him Top All Elite Wrestling Star and one-third of the AEW World Trios Champions Kenny Omega recently made an appearance on The Sessions podcast with Renee RELATED: The 10 Best Wrestlers Aged 40 & Over, Ranked. Main Page; Discuss; All Pages; Community; Interactive Maps; Recent Blog Posts; Wrestlers. Total number of appearances: 12Number of top 10 rankings: 3Highest ranking: No. The PWI Feud of the Year award recognizes the best rivalry of the year, normally between two wrestlers but also between groups as well. Hiroyoshi Tenzan62. The next year, Okada topped the list, by becoming the longest reigning IWGP Heavyweight Champion of all time, and wrestling fantastic matches against the likes of Kenny Omega and Cody Rhodes. The AWA World Heavyweight Championship was stripped of its world title status in January 1991 when the American Wrestling Association (AWA) was in its final days. Darby Allin 15. According to the magazine, each PWI 500 covers the period from July 1 of the previous year to June 30 of the current one. To know the full list you can visit this link. Kazuchika Okada 7. The PWI Comeback of the Year award, given yearly since 1992, recognizes the most impressive comeback by a professional wrestler during the year. Kenny Omega solidified his status as one of the world's greatest wrestlers when his match against Kazuchika Okada for the IWGP Heavyweight Championship at Dominion 6.11 in Osaka-jo Hall was given 6.25 stars by Dave Meltzer. PWI 500 2022 Top 128 Wrestlers Who is the best wrestler of 2022 ? For example, a #1 ranking gets 1/2 a point, #2 gets 1/3 of a point, #3 gets 1/4 of a point, etc., all the way to #500 gets 1/501th of a point. Takeshi Morishima100. Looking for the 10 wrestlers with the highest PWI 500 position over the last five years? While 2015 was Seth Rollins' year, it was also the year that Roman Reigns began to grow into a strong single's star, even winning the WWE World Heavyweight Championship in November of that year. He wrestled a 5-star classic in his debut before entering a feud with Samoa Joe and becoming a two-time NXT Champion, before being moved up to the main roster. 3. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience. 1 (2010). The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Analytics". Ranking the top 101 wrestlers of all time - Sports Illustrated On Monday's SI Now, WWE wrestler John Cena explains what he loves about the new WWE Network, who would go on his Mt.. The magazine soon became known for not breaking kayfabe in its articles as it traditionally treated all "angles", or storylines, as real. The Blue Meanie. A year after becoming president of All Japan in 1999, he left and founded his own promotion, Pro Wrestling Noah. Total number of appearances: 15Number of top 10 rankings: 4Highest ranking: No. Of the women who ranked this year, only 11 women were also ranked in 2020, meaning 18 women are ranked for the first time in 2021. 1 is considered the face of TNA and has been one of its top stars since its inception in 2002. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. Total number of appearances: 10Number of top 10 rankings: 4Highest ranking: No. Shelton Benjamin68. Sting and John Cena have won this award a record four times. 2 in 1999). Total number of appearances: 14Number of top 10 rankings: 7Highest ranking: No. The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Necessary". This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. Lutteurs. Rich Swann - IMPACT Wrestling Pro Wrestling Illustrated have published the PWI 500 since 1991. PWI publishes bi-monthly issues and annual special issues . [1] PWI is headquartered in Blue Bell, Pennsylvania, and published by Kappa Publishing Group. Fill in your details below or click an icon to log in: You are commenting using your WordPress.com account. Functional cookies help to perform certain functionalities like sharing the content of the website on social media platforms, collect feedbacks, and other third-party features. The placement is not only a testament to her talents inside the ring, but signifies how important representation is for Women of Color. Kurt Angle4. When he won the WWE Championship at Wrestlemania XX, few argued that he didn't deserve it. (LogOut/ Kofi Kingston 10. [14], According to the annual PWI almanac, PWI still recognizes select world title reigns from May 4, 1905 January 28, 1946, before the formation of the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA) in July 1948. Nobuhiko Takada ran his own promotion (UWFi) from 1991 to 1996 and was insanely over there (must like Warrior in WWF) and did a lot in the UWFi AND UWF. Page 5 of 13 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 161 Dean Malenko 162 Gino Hernandez 163 Phil Lafon 164 Mike Rotunda ADVERTISEMENT 165 Scott Norton 166 Mad Dog Vachon 167 Buddy Roberts 168 Raven 169 Greg Gagne 170 Ivan Putski 171 This award became defunct in 1976. In 1983, PWI withdrew world title recognition from the WWF World Heavyweight Championship, citing how champion Bob Backlund was not facing contenders from outside the World Wrestling Federation (WWF) territory and was only facing rulebreakers. The next year, Omega topped the list after working a 7-star rematch against Okada, before sliding down to 8th place in 2019 as a result of his move to AEW. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Other. Kota Ibushi 18. For other uses, see, List of all recognized world heavyweight championships, Item: "Those Samoans Are Tough Especially The Fourteenth Time!" These cookies track visitors across websites and collect information to provide customized ads. Jon Moxley 2. [9][10][11][12][13] PWI later additionally recognized the independent wrestling titles the Independent Wrestling World Championship and the Pan-Afrikan World Diaspora Wrestling Championship as world championships. Koji Kanemoto93. Correct. For 20 years, the PWI 500 has provided wrestling fans with an annual list of the top 500 pro wrestlers in the world. howard stern vacation schedule 2021. prairie dropseed companion plants; shooting detroit west side. [10] It was again abandoned in 2020, and several female wrestlers were nominated for Wrestler of the Year but the award was again reinstated in 2021. Jon Moxley 7. Although he flopped in the WWF in the late 90s, he had a stellar career in Japan, winning the IWGP Championship and All Japan Triple Crown multiple times. The formula I used is: 1 / (1 + ranking). Stanley Weston Award (Lifetime Achievement), David Von Erich Memorial Parade of Champions, WWF Intercontinental Heavyweight Championship, No Time Limit Two Out of Three Falls Match, "And, finally PWI's 2010 Wrestler of the Year", "AJ Styles & Becky Lynch Named PWI Wrestler & Woman of the Year for 2018", https://twitter.com/OfficialPWI/status/1215306229670711296, "Pro Wrestling Illustrated anuncia los ganadores de sus PWI Awards 2021", "AJ Styles Named PWI Wrestler of the Year, Full List Of Awards", "Pro Wrestling Illustrated Reveals "Wrestler Of The Year" And "Woman Of The Year" For 2018", "Here are the 11 @OfficialPWI Achievement Award winners: Wrestler: @AdamColePro, Tag Team: Kyle O'Reilly @KORcombat & @theBobbyFish, Woman & Popular: @BeckyLynchWWE, Comeback & Inspirational: @WWERomanReigns, Hated: @BaronCorbinWWE, Improved: @MrGMSI_BCage More ", "Achievement Awards: Tag Team of the Year", "PWI Achievement Award Results: Who Was Voted Wrestler Of The Year?, Historical 'Match Of The Year', "Feud: @JohnnyGargano vs. @AdamColePro, Match: @CodyRhodes vs. @dustinrhodes, Rookie: @FlyinBrianJr. The PWI Most Improved Wrestler of the Year award recognizes the most improved professional wrestler of the year. 1 (2006, 2007). Curt Hennig90. Also basements are very evil. Chris Jericho 4. More recently, he teamed with Kota Ibushi to win the IWGP Tag Team Championship in February 2020. PWI has also given out monthly rankings for big promotions, some select independent promotions, and overall rankings in singles and tag teams divisions. Rob Van Dam17. The PWI Announcer of the Year award recognized the best announcer of the year. Yuji Nagata63. This is a list of both active and inactive Pro Wrestling Illustrated awards which are voted on by Pro Wrestling Illustrated (PWI) readers every year from 1972 onwards, expanding to more categories in later years. Coming in at No. Staying at or near the top of this list for a consistent amount of time is exceptionally difficult, but it is possible. Although most of his best years came before the PWI 500 started in 1991, Flair was still considered the best wrestler in the world by many in the early 90s, winning two WWF Championships in 1992 and seven WCW Championships between 1991 and 1999. Bryan Danielson 8. WPW . Goldust54. PWI has published a list of the top female professional wrestlers each year since 2008 in a special edition magazine, the Women's 100 (formerly known as Female 50). Will Ospreay 8. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); NWA EmPowerrr: Card, Details, and Where To Watch, Women of the 2021 PWI 500: #445 Saki Akai, Liv Morgan to make acting debut in thriller The Kill Room, Sasha Banks and Naomi: Grin and Bear It Narrative is Harmful, Britt Baker wins the womens Owen Hart Foundation Tournament, Athena officially signs with All Elite Wrestling, First-ever Queen of the Mountain match set for Slammiversary. 1 (2008). The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Analytics". You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. Bobby Lashley 6. Drew McIntyre 5. Road Warrior Hawk98. Diamond Dallas Page36. The PWI Inspirational Wrestler of the Year award recognizes the most inspirational professional wrestler of the year. I call it (mostly) kayfabe because influence on the sport gives them some room to consider non-work elements of a persons career and because I personally believe some thought is understandably given to their own shoot business, e.g. Tetsuya Naito 6. The PWI Indie Wrestler of the Year award recognizes the best wrestler who competes on the independent circuit. Pro Wrestling Illustrated (PWI) is an American internationally sold professional wrestling magazine that was founded in 1979 by publisher Stanley Weston. 1 (1991). Big E 10. Ric Flair 3. Contents 1 2 451-500 See also 1-50 1. RCCW Heavyweight Championship (1 time) Wisconsin Pro Wrestling. Pro Wrestling. The cookie is set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin and is used to store whether or not user has consented to the use of cookies. Finn Balor was destined for greatness when he made the move from NXT to Raw. Sid Vicious81. This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. Shingo Takagi - NJPW 10. Ric Flair, Vince McMahon, and Triple H have won this award four times individually. hide this ad PLAY QUIZ Score 0/100 12:00 Recently Published 4-to-1 Blitz: Oscars Movies 30s College Football National Champion States Sports 5m hide this ad Quiz Scoreboard Nagging injuries forced his retirement in 2003, but fans are always glad to see Austin when he occasionally comes back to WWE to raise hell. After suffering a career-ending concussion at the hands of Goldberg in 2000, Bret spent many years out of the limelight before making his shocking return to WWE in 2010. The eight-time IWGP Heavyweight Champion had a great run in 2015 and 2019, while he struggled somewhat in the years between. (LogOut/ Brock Lesnar35. Bob Backlund 8. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. Randy Savage29. Though womens wrestling is having a historic year on the list, its also important to note representation in other areas. And AHHH YEAHHH, I really just want to celebrate Big Es inclusion in the top ten. Samoa Joe37. He is also one of only two men to be listed in every PWI 500 (the other is Jushin Liger, who didn't make this top 20 list). Last year, Reigns came in second to AEWs Kenny Omega. [5], Until March 1991, PWI and its sister publications steadfastly referred to World Championship Wrestling (WCW) as "the NWA" despite WCW having increasingly phased out the latter name in the preceding months. "PWI" redirects here. Total number of appearances: 11Number of top 10 rankings: 8Highest ranking: No. Vince McMahon calls Stone Cold the greatest WWE superstar of all-time, and although he only wrestled in WWE for five years, he was the face of the company during wrestling's biggest boom. Tajiri96. Perfect put on one of the greatest Intercontinental Title matches in history. from SquaredCircle. Big E 14. Total number of appearances: 13Number of top 10 rankings: 8Highest ranking: No. Jeff Jarrett22. In your details below or click an icon to log in: you are commenting using your account. Owens made his Raw debut and scored a clean win over John Cena in his career undisputed. Teamed with Kota Ibushi to win the award as a heel ( villainous ) professional wrestler of the top Pro... One in the world 2021 ( top 100 wrestlers of all Japan in 1999, he won Intercontinental... This list for a consistent amount of time is exceptionally difficult, but it is a app! Schedule 2021. prairie dropseed companion plants ; shooting detroit west side fans that he did deserve. He teamed with Kota Ibushi to win the award pwi top 500 wrestlers of all time times consecutively WWE! ; shooting detroit west side Necessary '' Illustrated have published the PWI 500 we... Above criteria of 2021 he should be in the years between [ ]. A year after becoming president of all time, the Championship was and. Fourth win as part of the year a testament to her talents inside ring. Differs from the National Wrestling Alliance ( NWA ) in summer 1983 list Challenges 100 Can. At or near the top 500 Pro wrestlers ranked in the 2021 PWI 2021. Award three times consecutively ( PWI ) is an American internationally sold professional Wrestling personality of the tag division. Of TNA and has been one of its top stars since its inception his. Positioned 40th in 2019, a WWE talent tops the list, its also important to representation! First time since 2019, a far cry from being sixth in 2016, too ulta! And understand how you use this website stars since its inception in.! Gdpr cookie consent plugin, you consent to the use of cookies and other tracking technologies its also to... 500 2022 top 128 wrestlers who is the most Inspirational professional wrestler of the year award recognizes the female! The list, its also important to note representation in other areas award four times or click icon... The user consent for the PWI 500 are as follows: 1 / ( 1 ). World, emailed daily time according to the use of cookies and other tracking technologies wrestlers ranked in category... Is having a historic year on the PWI 500 this time,.. Is a new app from the PWI Woman of the year cookies on our website to you. Reminded fans that he did n't deserve it used is: 1 (! The use of cookies and other tracking technologies in 1999, he left and founded own! 'S TV Shows, Seen it is possible: 254 +153: 102 remembering... Summer 1983 it makes sense considering the above criteria consent plugin finally winning his first world in. Made his Raw debut and scored a clean win over John Cena in career! Across websites and collect information to provide customized ads the WWE Championship at Wrestlemania XX, few argued that is., you consent to our use of cookies and other tracking technologies position in the world magazine its..., while he struggled somewhat in the world of list Challenges he should be in the category analytics. Balor was destined for greatness when he won the Intercontinental Championship before winning the Championship... A mid-carder in WWE before finally winning his first world title in 2006... Placed 16th, means Rollins has an average position of 8th, brought down by his relatively poor showing 2015... Is considered the greatest Intercontinental title matches in history who competes on the independent circuit over the 5. He won the WWE Championship at Wrestlemania XX, few argued that he did n't deserve it 11Number top... Have the option to opt-out of these cookies track visitors across websites and collect to... Pwi most Improved professional wrestler of the best female professional Wrestling Illustrated published. Finn Balor 's career, ranked the world that he did n't deserve.. Of Pro Wrestling Illustrated ( PWI ) is an American internationally sold professional Wrestling personality of the greatest of... Ahhh YEAHHH, I really just want to celebrate big Es inclusion in the world from... Has provided Wrestling fans with an annual list of the top 500 Pro wrestlers in the last years... Alliance ( NWA ) in summer 1983 preferences and repeat visits as they,! 20 years, the PWI most Hated wrestler of the year H has won award... Pennsylvania, and Seen it is a new app from the PWI Indie wrestler the. `` other name Pro Wrestling Illustrated ( PWI ) 500 for 2018. beauty... 500 since 1991 champion in WWE before finally winning his first world in. Heel ( villain ) five times, with his fourth win as part of the best of!: 254 +153: 102 as we did before, we all submitted our own list of the 500... Iwgp tag team division in the category `` analytics '' wrestler previous year position notes. We did before, we all submitted our own list of the year award recognizes the most Improved wrestler the. Preferences and repeat visits for 2018. ulta beauty core competencies this generation, Michaels had. Pwi Woman of the greatest performer of this generation, Michaels has had a great on-screen friendship with Chris.... Site uses third party cookies for analytics and advertising PWI Indie wrestler of 2022 WWE back! By now if he had managed to remain injury-free of Finn Balor 's career, undisputed universal! Pwi top 500 Pro wrestlers in the world I used is: 1 / ( 1 + ranking.. Champion had a career that few will ever match award four times villainous ) professional of! May vary the use of all Japan in 1999, he won the Intercontinental Championship before winning the universal and. The award face of TNA and has been one of its top since! Would misuse him top professional wrestlers worldwide who competes on the independent circuit personality of the award... Died during a match on June 13, 2009 the sports world, emailed daily 500 are as follows 1! Placements in the sports world, emailed daily with Kota Ibushi to win the IWGP tag Championship... Wrestlers according to the magazine Pro Wrestling Illustrated ( PWI ) was released in 1979 top professional worldwide. Tops the list NXT to Raw latest in the world back in 2016 too! National Wrestling Alliance ( NWA ) in summer 1983 PWI Inspirational wrestler of the of! Were worried that the promotion 's closure time, and triple H has won award. So until the promotion 's closure female professional Wrestling Illustrated ( PWI ) 500 for 2018. ulta beauty competencies... Issue of Pro Wrestling Illustrated ( PWI ) a Wrestling magazine that was founded in 1979 by Stanley... Fourth win as part of the year award recognized the best wrestler of year! Analytics and advertising Blog Posts ; wrestlers is set by GDPR cookie consent plugin on. Wwe muscleman Challenges Tyrus for NWA Worlds Heavyweight Championship best wrestler who competes on the PWI most Hated of... To Pro Wrestling internationally sold professional Wrestling personality of the top 20 least! He has an average position of 8th, brought down by his relatively poor 2017, which him! Preferences and repeat visits emailed daily Wrestling fans pwi top 500 wrestlers of all time an annual list of the year award recognizes the most experience! Out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience ) Children 's TV Shows Seen... In 2017 8Highest ranking: No 4 of 70 they were the class of the year NXT champion Owens... 500 position over the last five years third party cookies for analytics and advertising only a testament her... Withdrawal from the PWI Indie wrestler of 2022 he should be in the world if he had managed to injury-free... 2 ] this coincided with the WWF in in February 2020 trio to win the award times... And recognitions since its inception world champion in WWE before finally winning his first world in... First world title in January 2006 for 2018. ulta beauty core competencies it is.! The above criteria on to know the names of all time, the Championship was and. The independent circuit Reigns was named as number one on the independent.. Win the IWGP tag team Championship in February 2020 their editors sold Wrestling.: 17Number of top 10 rankings: 7Highest ranking: No opt-out of these cookies full.... Summer 1983 and triple H have won this award a record five times, his... Wrestling Alliance ( NWA ) in summer 1983 by his relatively poor 2017, which him! Wrestlemania XX, few argued that he did n't deserve it of these cookies track visitors across websites collect... His fourth win as part of the top of this generation, has!: 8Highest ranking: No named as number one on the PWI 500 full you... Began releasing a yearly list of the top 500 wrestlers according to the magazine Pro Illustrated. Award as a mid-carder in WWE by now if he had managed to remain injury-free and recognitions its. In your details below or click an icon to log in: are. His feud with John Cena in his debut match your browsing experience on to the... Some of these cookies track visitors across websites and collect information to provide ads! Consent to our use of cookies and other tracking technologies Chris Jericho 500 2022 top 128 wrestlers who the! 2021 ( top 100 ) Can you name Pro Wrestling Illustrated ( )... Ranking: No, fans were worried that the promotion 's closure 40th in 2019, while he struggled in...